


Repayment in Kind

by Cameo (CameoSF)



Series: Debts of Honor [2]
Category: Eroica Yori Ai o Komete | From Eroica with Love, Third Reich - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-05 00:02:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3097487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CameoSF/pseuds/Cameo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The tables are turned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Repayment in Kind

**Author's Note:**

> Again, the non-consentual sex takes place 'off-screen'.

            Klaus had been in the middle of planning an intricate mission when word reached him of Dorian’s disappearance.  It came via Bonham, which in itself told Klaus that the situation was serious: Eroica’s second-in-command would not have ventured into the wolf’s den unless he was desperate.  His team had been searching for Dorian for four days with no leads whatsoever, and some sixth sense seemed to be warning Bonham that time was running out.  He’d locked Mr. James in a cupboard, he explained, and against his will and better judgment had come to NATO to request help.

            “His lordship went out to dinner, that’s all,” Bonham told an impassive Major. “He was meeting some people at the restaurant, and we didn’t expect him back till late.  When he never came home that night, we called his friends, who said he’d never shown up.  His car was parked in the lot behind the restaurant, but no one saw anything.  He just vanished.”

            “And what do you think I can do about it?” Klaus inquired just to be difficult.  He was already mentally considering his options.

            “Well, we’d hoped you’d be willing to use some of your NATO resources to find him, seeing as how his lordship is your sometime partner.”

            “Eroica was not on NATO business when he vanished.”

            “No, but he knows a lot about your missions.  It could be connected.”

            “Tell me what you’ve already done to find him.”

            For the next half hour Bonham listed his team’s efforts.  They hadn’t been able to bring in the police, but amongst themselves they’d explored all the usual avenues, as well as the unusual ones that arose when the missing party was a world-class thief.  All that seemed left was something relating to Dorian’s work with NATO.

            “It’s not a trick, Major, I promise you,” Bonham added, although the possibility hadn’t crossed Klaus’s mind. “His lordship wouldn’t worry us all just to get your attention.  He’s not that sort of man.”

            “I’ll see what I can discover,” Klaus promised.

            “And you’ll take action when you do?”

            “If I do, yes.”

            Bonham accepted that and left quietly.  As soon as he’d gone, Klaus called into his office his two best agents, A and Z.  He told them succinctly what he wanted done, and gave them no chance to ask why it was so urgent.  The name Eroica did not pass his lips.

            By evening, his men had not discovered anything, and Klaus was growing irritable.  He had them ransacking the activities of every foreign agent that he and Dorian had come into contact with in the past year, seeking something out of character.  Many of them were imprisoned.  Others had simply never been heard from again, exiled to their own private Alaskas.  The remaining ones all seemed to have been on their best, or at least their normal, behavior for the previous two weeks.

            “Damn it, one of them must be doing something strange!” he snapped, sticking his head out of his office amidst a cloud of cigarette smoke to glare at A and Z, the only two agents left at that hour. “Have you checked on those imbeciles who tried to take over for Mischa?  Have you--”

            A looked up. “They’re all accounted for Major.  The only KGB man who hasn’t been seen in the last two weeks is Vlad Tarskov, but no one’s seen him for almost six months.”

            Klaus froze, nudged by the same sixth sense Bonham had felt. “Give me everything you can find on him!” he barked.  A moment later, he added, “And give me everything we have on Matoba Fuyuhiko of the COA!”

            A and Z exchanged a glance and hopped to it.

            By midnight, Klaus had a very bad feeling.  Tarskov had disappeared shortly after losing some NATO documents with which he’d been entrusted.  His superiors, who’d been attending a convention in his house at the time, could not hold him solely responsible, so he had not been eliminated by their orders.  In fact, from what Klaus could discover, he’d disappeared against their wishes.  Since then he’d communicated only by messenger.  His superiors had all but given up on him.

            Meanwhile, the COA had been relatively idle.  Klaus had researched them thoroughly six months earlier, after meeting one of their most illustrious members, and they’d proven to be very good at covering their backs.  Although Fuyuhiko’s description had been posted with every government agency, no one had picked him up or noted any new activities.  Deaths that would normally be attributed to them, Klaus now suspected were committed by others.  The only death he would have expected to follow had not been reported: Tarskov had gotten into hiding in time.

            “Z!” Klaus bellowed, and a sleepy looking Z peeked around the corner. “Put the word out that I need to speak with Fuyuhiko immediately.”

            “Sir?”

            “Yes, that Fuyuhiko!”

            Z nodded and retreated.  Klaus knew he’d never question the order.  All his subordinates knew of the incident between the Major and the renowned assassin, and they all knew why it had ended without an arrest.  The fact that their boss had survived the encounter, much less that he would need to meet with him again, seemed only to impress them.

            Klaus dozed at his desk that night, although he didn’t admit to himself why.  The feeling that Dorian was running out of time was growing stronger.

            At dawn his phone rang.  Klaus was instantly alert: he grabbed the receiver before it could sound a second time. “Yes?”

            “Major, I hope I didn’t wake you,” a familiar soft voice said. 

            “No, you didn’t.  Thank you for calling so promptly,” Klaus replied.  He’d automatically lowered his own voice; he’d always found it difficult to shout around this man. “I need to know whether you were ever able to take revenge on Tarskov.”

            The other hesitated. “No.  We were unable to locate him.  Why?”

            “My sources say that he is in hiding and maintains minimal contact with the KGB.  Do you know anything further?” Klaus could hear suspicion in the silence, so he clarified. “I need to know whether he ever found out who helped you escape.”           

            “Yes, my sources say that he did.  Everyone in the KGB knew it was you who broke in and retrieved that document.”

            “And did he know that Dorian was with me?”

            Now the other was silent for a different reason. Then, “Tell me.”

            “Dorian is missing.”

            “You’ve exhausted all other possibilities?”

            “Yes.”

            “I’ll call you back.”

            While he waited, Klaus showered and put on fresh clothes.  He was guzzling a cup of Nescafe and puffing on his third cigarette when his phone rang again.

            “Major, I’ve started wheels rolling to find Tarskov’s hideout.  Can I assume that you’ve done the same?  Then it is just a matter of time.”

            “Which Dorian may not have.”   

            “I know that only too well.  When you confront Tarskov, I want to be there.”

            Klaus wouldn’t have had it any other way. “How shall I contact you?”

            “I’ll have to call you, Major.  Every hour till we have the information?”

            “Every half hour.”

            “As you wish.”

            Fortunately for Klaus’s men, they began to troop in five minutes later, or they would have been rousted from their beds.  They were immediately set to work to track down the elusive KGB agent’s hideaway.  Only A and Z seemed to have a glimmering why.

            Every thirty minutes Klaus answered his phone, and always hung up again without good news.  By noon, if he’d had a whip, he would have been cracking it.  Klaus knew his pacing was making his staff nervous, but he couldn’t be still.

            At twelve-fifteen G slammed down his receiver and called out. “Major!  I’ve got it!”

            Klaus suddenly forgave the little agent everything he’d ever done.  He grabbed the sheet on which G had scrawled an address, and dashed back to his office where he packed a briefcase while dialing the Gloria estate.

            “We’re on the move,” he told Bonham, who’d wisely reached the phone ahead of anyone else in the household. “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”

            “But can’t we help?--”

            “No, this must be a secret operation.” Klaus nearly hung up, then remembered whom he was speaking with. “And that means my men will not leak the location!” he added loudly, glaring at them through the open door.  B in particular got a look that would melt metal. “We will find him.”

            The wait for Fuyuhiko to call back was interminable.  This time Klaus answered the phone before the first ring was complete.

            “I’ve got it,” he announced. “How do we meet?”

            “I have a plane.  I’ll pick you up at Bonn airport in forty minutes.” Fuyuhiko evidently read Klaus’s mind. “No, Major, I am not usually this close to you.  I’ve been in flight for the last few hours in case we needed air transportation quickly.”

            “Very good.”

            On the way to the airport Klaus finally explained to A and Z what was happening.  He got their solemn promise not to tell Bonham where Tarskov was to be found, for once agreeing with Eroica’s notion that the fewer people involved in a mission the better.  That especially applied when one of the operatives was a wanted assassin.  He also got their commitment that they would devote the next four hours to finding out everything there was to know about Tarskov’s new residence.

            “Major, can Fuyuhiko be trusted?” A asked earnestly while Klaus inventoried the bag of tools they’d brought for him.  It contained torches, rope, extra ammunition, and other objects a NATO agent might require on an average mission.

            “In this case, I believe he can,” he stated. “He owes Eroica a debt of honor.”

            “But afterwards?”

            “Afterwards...” Klaus was in no mood for a debate. “It will be two to one.  Do not concern yourselves.  Just keep everyone else away.”

            He waited alone for the private COA jet to land, wondering if he was about to embark on the stupidest venture of his life.  It was possible, and assaying it for the sake of that blond idiot would just make it harder to face later, should he live to do so.  Somehow, this realization did not deter Klaus for a second.

            Valery was the only passenger on the plane.  He gave the signal for take-off as soon as Klaus appeared at the head of the ramp, and Klaus barely had time to reach the seat next to him and fasten his belt before they were taxiing.

            “Hello, Major,” Valery said with his faint smile.  He sat calmly, looking as good as Klaus remembered.  His hair was neatly tied back with a white ribbon, making him appear about fourteen years old. “Where are we going?”

            Klaus handed him the address, and Valery used the phone to direct their pilots.

            “It will take over two hours to get there,” Klaus remarked, “and then we must decide how best to proceed.  Have you any thoughts?”

            “Only that Dorian may need careful handling.  Are you up to that?”

            “Then you believe, as I do, that Tarskov is using him to send a message to me?”

            “Yes.  There’s no guessing what condition we’ll find him in.”

            “Knowing Dorian, he will be fine and his kidnappers will be tearing their hair out,” Klaus said drily.

            “If you believed that, Major, you wouldn’t have dropped everything to come find him.” Valery watched Klaus steadily. “He may not be alive by the time we get there.  Remember, Tarskov’s plan was to starve me.  Dorian might not be lucky enough to have someone sneaking him food.  How long has he been missing?”

            “Five days.”

            “Is it likely he was injured when they took him?”

            Klaus hated to speculate.  He briefly described the circumstances of Dorian’s abduction. “They must have caught him off guard to have overpowered him at all.  Dorian is usually very good at self-preservation.”

            “Then we must be prepared with medical supplies.”

            They were silent for a while.  Valery took the opportunity to phone ahead for supplies and to have a hotel booked for them.

            “It will still be daylight when we arrive,” he explained. “We won’t be able to attempt anything till after dark, so we will need a base of operations in the meantime.”

            “I will need to call my office.  My men will have information regarding Tarskov’s hideout.”

            Valery nodded.  Klaus knew the other was watching him again, and it was making him uncomfortable.  He knew too well what the man was thinking.

            “Has Dorian ever been raped before?” Valery finally murmured.

            “How should I know?” Klaus almost snapped at him, before conceding that this subject had to be discussed. “...I expect not, or I would have heard about it.”

            “He seemed strong.”

            “He is.” For once Klaus deliberately thought about his blond thief in a physical sense. “He has stamina and he is quite resilient.  He is also quite promiscuous, so perhaps he has dealt with the threat of rape before.”

            “Promiscuous?” Valery frowned slightly. “Not according to our records.”

            “I beg your pardon?”

            “Forgive me, Major, but ever since our meeting, I’ve requested that your activities be monitored, yours and Dorian’s, in case either of you decided to try to find me.  I know now who Eroica is--”

            “How--”

            “You addressed him by that name that night in the car.  I had never heard it before.  Now I know all about him.  And you.  That is how I know that you dropped what was to be an important mission to come after him.”

            Klaus stared at him, wishing he could explode.  It was always so easy to go ballistic with Dorian.  With Valery he was compelled to be reasonable; he knew that if he lost his temper, this man would simply walk away.

            “Your records must be incomplete,” he stated. “Dorian has always slept around.  He does not attempt to hide the fact.”

            Valery shook his head. “No, not for several years.  Not since he began working with NATO.”

            “Whatever you are trying to say--”

            “I’m not saying anything, Major,” Valery assured him, and let the matter drop.

            Then it was Klaus’s turn. “The COA has been all but dormant since our meeting,” he remarked. “Has your... Sebastian decided to retire?”

            “Not exactly.  He just feels that now is not the best time to pursue our goals.  He is watching the situation in Eastern Europe and Asia closely, waiting for it to settle.”

            “I would think a time of unrest would be what he needs to get a foothold.”

            “Politically, yes.  Economically, no.”

            “He may have a long wait for things to settle.”

            “Perhaps.” There was a certain light in Valery’s eyes that said he knew more than he was revealing.  Klaus wanted to distrust him, but he knew instinctively that Valery was not a liar.  Whatever was taking place within the COA, there would be no immediate repercussions outside that organization. “I find it interesting that NATO employs an international thief.  Isn’t NATO supposed to uphold law and order?”

            “Eroica can be very useful at times, for liberating documents and freeing prisoners, for example,” Klaus replied stiffly.

            “I’m not complaining, merely curious.”

            “Then know that I too find it out of keeping with NATO’s policies.  Eroica wormed his way in, and now I have no choice but to work with him.” Klaus stopped, surprised and disturbed to find that every time he said the thief’s name, a wave of concern washed through him.  He had never been this worried about anyone. “He only does it to aggravate me.”

            “That was not my impression,” Valery offered, turning in his seat to face Klaus. “Tell me more about your work together.”

            Klaus had no intention of telling him any such thing, but as he began to speak of Eroica, his mouth seemed to develop a mind of its own.  He told Valery of their first inauspicious meeting as Dorian and Klaus, of their first disastrous encounter as Eroica and the Major, of their first reluctant job together.  It was astonishing how much detail he recalled.  Valery rested his chin in his hand and listened without interruption as Klaus described incident after incident, sometimes complete with conversations and physical descriptions, and always with more animation than he usually allowed himself.  By the time his mouth ran dry, Klaus thought he must have listed every meeting he and Dorian had ever had.

            “And despite all his annoying habits, he is still very important to you,” Valery observed.

            “He is important to NATO,” Klaus corrected automatically.  He met the other’s huge eyes for a moment, and wondered how much he’d just given away.  It wasn’t like him to forget whom he was speaking to.  Concern for that blasted thief was getting to him. “We must be close now.”

            Valery stirred himself to call the pilots again and learned they would be landing in ten minutes.  A COA car would be waiting at the airport for them.

            It was an uneventful drive, mostly in silence.  Klaus did not volunteer any more information, and Valery seemed preoccupied as well.  At the hotel the former insisted on checking in under an alias, requesting two connecting rooms.  When Valery raised his eyebrows, Klaus shrugged.

            “Dorian may not be well enough to travel immediately.”

            “As you wish.”

            The rooms were acceptable, but the furnishings may as well have been invisible.  Choosing Klaus’s as their base, they ordered room service, then Klaus called his office.  A and Z had found all the information available on Tarskov’s current home, and they faxed it to the hotel desk to be brought upstairs at once.  While Klaus and Valery ate, they poured over the papers: floorplans, staff schedules, and anything else the agents had thought would be helpful.  It wasn’t much.

            “This is going to take some improvising,” Valery murmured, kneeling beside the coffee table on which the papers were spread.  His hair trailed along the floor, and Klaus had to be careful not to step on it as he paced from one side to the other.  Again he could not stand still.   

            “We will go heavily armed and we will take out anyone who tries to stop us,” he stated.  Valery looked up with a frown, and Klaus had trouble meeting his brilliant gaze. “We cannot afford to waste any more time getting to Dorian.”

            “No, but it is Tarskov himself that I want revenge on, no one else.”

            “Not even the men who--?” Klaus cut himself off and crossed to the window.  It had just occurred to him that he’d gotten almost no rest the night before.  Fatigue didn’t usually hit him like this.

            Valery had risen quietly and followed him. “I don’t do that anymore.”

            “So you say.” Klaus spoke more brusquely than he’d intended, and he saw sadness fill Valery’s eyes.  He forced himself to stop striking back. “I believe you.” The other turned away, silent. “If I did not, we would not be here.”

            That made Valery face him again. “You’re right.  We’re both taking a chance.  My people know where you are, and your people know where I am.  Either of us could have been walking into a trap.” A moment later he flashed a smile. To Klaus’s consternation, Valery clasped one of the Major’s hands in both of his.  Klaus was too astonished to pull it free. “Thank you for your trust, Major.  It means a lot to me.”

            “I...” Klaus cleared his throat. “I could not entrust Dorian’s safety with anyone else,” he said truthfully.  Valery’s eyes widened with gratitude, and Klaus suddenly knew he needed some sleep.  He should be knocking this pervert into next week, not wishing he were a half a foot taller and blond.

“I am going to lie down till nightfall,” he declared, withdrawing his hand. “Do not wake me unless you receive news of Dorian or come up with a plan.”

            Valery nodded and returned to the papers on the table.

            Klaus was self-conscious now, but he removed his jacket, loosened his tie, and lay down on the double bed.  He’d trained himself to be able to sleep under adverse conditions, and these certainly qualified, but his mind would not turn off.  He couldn’t help envisioning Dorian’s abduction and imprisonment.  Although his imagination was frankly not up to the second half of it, he wouldn’t have wished it on anyone, even his enemies.  He wondered how someone as delicate-seeming as Valery could have endured it.

            He didn’t realize he was asleep until he started dreaming.  He was in a huge building with dozens of corridors, all doubling back on themselves.  He was carrying someone whom he knew was Valery, but whose hair and face kept changing.  Someone was supposed to be guiding him to the exit, but whoever it was had turned a corner and Klaus could not catch up.  He was running, struggling with his burden, and confused now by the winding halls.  His guide was no longer even in sight.  Klaus stopped with no idea which direction to go.  He spun in circles helplessly, but nothing looked familiar.  He stopped spinning, and suddenly his arms were empty and he was alone.

            Klaus woke up in an instant, his heart pounding.  The room was silent and growing dark.  Regulating his breathing, Klaus recalled his dream, disgusted that it was so transparent.  He refused to entertain any doubts that he would get Dorian out alive. 

            A moment later he realized that Valery was no longer beside the table.  Klaus turned his head in alarm, and started when he saw the other man lying beside him.  It was all Klaus could do not to spring out of the bed like a jack-in-the-box.

            “Bad dream?” Valery asked in a low voice.  His eyes gleamed violet in the twilight.

            “Nothing important,” Klaus replied, deliberately gruff.  He remained prone, stiff as a board.          “How shocking.  Major Eberbach of NATO in bed with a gay man.” Valery laughed softly. “But what else would one expect who saw you checking into a hotel with me?”

            Klaus wanted to gag.  He got up and put on his jacket before speaking.

            “You are all alike,” he accused then with great self-control. “You all--”

            “No, we aren’t.  We’re just impatient with your priggishness.  Tell me your dream.”

            “It is none of your business.”     

            “Humor me.” Valery smiled, and Klaus almost sat down on the edge of the bed.  He caught himself and sat in the desk chair, then lit up a cigarette to steady himself. “We can’t expect to break into Tarskov’s house till after midnight, so we have hours yet.  Tell me.”

            “Only if you will concentrate on devising a plan afterwards,” Klaus bargained, resigned to telling this puzzling man about his dream, but determined it would be on his grounds.  Valery nodded, so Klaus did as requested.  All traces of fear were gone, and he described it coolly, unmoved by his own conclusion.  Valery sat up and leaned forward on his elbows, considering Klaus’s words.

            “Interesting,” he said when Klaus finished.  He swung his legs to the floor. “Let’s plan.”

            In the end, their strategy relied heavily on improvisation, as predicted.  They knew the layout of Tarskov’s property, but they didn’t know what the interior of his place looked like.  They knew of the regular comings and goings of several occupants, but they didn’t know the total number of people who lived there.  They knew that Tarskov was currently in residence, but not how to find him once they were inside.

            “You are armed?” Klaus asked just before they left the hotel.  It was almost two in the morning, and the country sky was dark, unlit by moon or modern light.  He’d buttoned his jacket up to the neck to hide his white shirt.  Valery’s clothing was dark as well, a suit and shirt of deep purple.

            “Of course.  A gun and two knives.  You?”

            “Just my gun.  It will be enough.”

            “If it’s not, there will be alternatives in the car.”

            Klaus had to admit that the COA came prepared.  The car was parked behind the hotel, so they had privacy to explore the contents of the trunk. The vehicle itself was a model known for its speed and reliability, and was large enough to convey a patient on the way back.  Besides the first aid supplies they’d requested, the trunk contained several additional weapons, including a dartgun.

            The drive to Tarskov’s new hideout went quickly.  It was a private residence, smaller than his old abode by about twenty rooms, but it too sat behind locked gates and a high wall.  The grounds were in darkness when Klaus and Valery arrived, with no guards in evidence.  As soon as they scaled the wall however, two Dobermans came running.  Klaus was ready to take them out, and froze in astonishment at how quickly Valery was able to load, aim, and fire tranquilizer darts at them, all while straddling the wall.  Both dogs went down with barely a whimper.

            “I actually prefer cats,” Valery remarked when Klaus just stared at him.

            “Do you have more darts?”

            “Yes.”

            After a moment, Klaus bowed to him to lead the way.

            They jimmied a window at the back of the house and deactivated the attached alarm system.  Then they used torches to search the rooms on that level, without success.

            At the stairs, Valery paused. “I’ll check the cellar, you take the first floor?” he whispered.

            “We’ll both take the first floor,” Klaus decided. “Tarskov would want to visit his victim often to admire his work, and he likes his comfort.  He would not choose the cellar.” Klaus didn’t add that he was unwilling to let Valery out of his sight.  He told himself it was because the smaller man was his natural enemy, but he knew it was something quite different.  He simply couldn’t afford to worry about anyone besides Dorian just then.

            They moved upstairs and began to search the rooms there, but it was riskier.  According to NATO’s intelligence files none of the servants lived in, but at least a half dozen others resided there, bodyguards for the most part.  They were presumably somewhere in the house at that moment.

            They found a study with a night guard asleep over his security screens, and another guard asleep in a chair in front of a television.  Both were handled as smoothly as the dogs.  As much as he scoffed at such namby-pamby measures, Klaus did not protest Valery’s method; he sensed that it pleased his companion not to kill these men.  Besides that, he’d recalled that since this mission was not sanctioned by NATO, he really shouldn’t leave a trail of dead bodies.

            The second floor turned out to be all bedrooms.  After testing four doors in a row and finding them locked, Klaus had an inspiration.  He scanned the hallway, finally pointing to a door with a new, more complicated lock.  Valery studied it, then shook his head, looking up at Klaus as if he’d know how to open it.  Klaus did: he quickly screwed a silencer onto his gun and shot the lock right off the wood.  Valery managed to catch the heavy piece of metal before it hit the floor.

            Slipping inside, they re-closed the door and turned on the overhead light.  For half a minute Klaus feared they were too late, then the figure on the bed breathed.  It was definitely Dorian, although all that could be seen was a mass of tangled blond curls.  He lay face down, covered by a sheet.  His arms were stretched outward, his wrists tied to each steel bedpost with strips of leather.  His ankles were tied to the posts at the foot of the bed.

            Valery immediately set to cutting his bindings loose, while Klaus uncovered Dorian to assess the damage.  He was limp and pale and there were many bruises, but the worst seemed to be his wrists and ankles where the leather had scraped the flesh raw.  Klaus gently turned Dorian’s head to see why he wasn’t reacting to their actions, and the sight of his thief’s face, unconscious but unharmed, made his heart lurch painfully.  He turned away.

            “He needs something to wear,” he told Valery, who’d moved from Dorian’s arms to his legs. “We cannot carry him into the hotel wrapped in a sheet.”

            Ignoring Valery’s knowing gaze, he opened what he thought was a closet door and instead found a boudoir.  A pile of coats lay atop a trunk, so he began to rummage for one large enough.

He didn’t hear the bedroom door open, and evidently neither did Valery, or the man who entered would never have gotten the drop on him.

            “What a delightful surprise,” Tarskov said in German. “I was expecting the NATO major to come to this one’s rescue.  This will be so much more satisfying.”

            Klaus peered through the crack in the doorway, confident that Valery would not betray his presence.  The COA agent was kneeling beside the bed, giving every impression of helplessness.  The man facing him was dark and bearded, wearing a luxurious dressing gown.  He was holding a revolver on Valery and smiling from ear to ear.

            “I owed this Englishman a debt,” Valery murmured, since Tarskov was awaiting a response. “When I heard he was missing, I knew it was your doing.”

            “How long, I wonder, will it take NATO to figure it out?”

            “They aren’t very imaginative at NATO.  How long did you plan to wait?”

            “If they have not attempted a rescue in five more days, I will contact them,” Tarskov admitted. “Although I have been enjoying this one so much, I will almost be sorry to see Major Eberbach come to his rescue.”

            “You know, don’t you, that the Major detests the Englishman?  He would be unlikely to come himself.”

            “I will make sure he has no choice.”

            Klaus had his gun aimed through the crack, just waiting for Tarskov to move slightly.  As soon as he had a clear shot, he fired, and Tarskov’s gun went flying.  Valery was instantly on his feet, his own gun drawn.

            “You have run out of time,” he stated solemnly.

            Tarskov had cried out, then frozen.  He gaped as Klaus came out of the boudoir. “You!  Working with the COA?” His eyes were wide, but apparently he hadn’t yet realized the consequences of his crimes. “I don’t believe it!”

            “It doesn’t matter a damn to me what you believe,” Klaus told him.  He longed to punch the KGB agent out, but it was Valery’s turn. “Consider your message received and answered.”

            While Tarskov was puzzling over that, Valery stepped closer.  His beautiful eyes flashed, and Klaus suspected he was remembering his own ill-treatment at the Russian’s hands. “This is long overdue,” he said, and fired pointblank into Tarskov’s chest.  The other went down with a thud.

            Klaus immediately returned to Dorian’s side and started to shove his arms into the coat he’d found.  He’d also located what appeared to be Dorian’s own clothing, but there was no time to dress him properly, so he simply wadded them up to bring along.  As he worked, the blond began to stir.  Blue eyes opened and stared at him groggily.

            “Klaus?” Dorian muttered, frowning.  He reached out to touch Klaus and missed by several inches. “Is it really you this time?” His gaze moved past Klaus. “Oh, Valery.  It’s another hallu... hallucin... dream then.”

            “It is no dream,” Klaus said, hauling him to a sitting position, then regretting it when Dorian winced. “We are getting you out of here.  Can you walk?”

            “Yes...” Dorian lowered his feet to the floor, stood up, and promptly buckled.  Klaus swung him up into his arms.

            “Valery?” he called, glancing at his companion.  Valery was staring down at Tarskov, oblivious to anything else. “Valery!  We must go now!”

            Dorian had seen the body. “Oh.  It’s over then?”

            “Yes.” Klaus had time to wonder how he was going to get two casualties safely out of the house, then Valery looked up.  His eyes were dull, but his brain was working.  He pulled out the dartgun and again took the lead.

            Getting out was relatively easy, since all their obstacles were still sedated.  Klaus carried Dorian the whole way, somewhat surprised at his docility.  He wasn’t very heavy, despite his height, and he didn’t take advantage of his position in any way.  He rested his head against Klaus’s shoulder and didn’t say a word, even when Valery borrowed Klaus’s silenced gun in order to shoot the lock off the front gates.  They’d mutually decided not to attempt the climb back over the wall.

            Klaus set Dorian in the backseat of their car, and again let Valery drive.  He would have been too preoccupied by Dorian’s condition to give the road his full attention.

            “You were drugged?” he asked as they headed back to the hotel.

            Dorian had curled up on his side and was trying in vain to keep his eyes open. “Yes.  Whenever they had to leave me alone for a while...”

            “Why?  They didn’t drug Valery... Did they?”

            Valery shook his head.

            “It started after I broke the bed...” Dorian confessed.  He managed a vague smile. “At first they used handcuffs, but I got out of those right away...” Klaus nodded; that was a given. “Then they tied me to the bed, but it was wooden and I kept kicking at it till it fell apart... So they tied me to a metal bed and drugged me...”

            “How long do the drugs last?”

            “Not long... They’d always worn off before...” Dorian fell silent.

            Klaus was at a loss.  He didn’t want to discuss what else they’d done to his thief, but he found he really didn’t want Dorian to think he didn’t care.  While he mentally debated with himself, Dorian shifted uncomfortably.

            “Are you hungry?” Klaus asked quickly.

            “No, he wasn’t starving me.” Dorian’s eyes were almost closed. “They didn’t want me to die yet... I was too useful as bait to get you here...” Even as he finished speaking, he had drifted into sleep.

            “If the drugs haven’t worn off by morning, we’ll take him to a doctor,” Valery said.  His gaze was fastened on the road, and his voice was still flat.

            Klaus turned to him. “Agreed.  And how are you handling this?” 

            “I keep telling myself that he deserved to die, that if I’d let him live, he might have done this to someone else.”

            “It is true.” Klaus rubbed his forehead, wondering how he’d wound up caring about two such totally inappropriate people. “If you had not killed him, I would have.  He would be dead now, either way.”

            “I know.”

            They parked behind the hotel, and Klaus carried Dorian inside while Valery brought the first aid kit.  He didn’t hear what Valery told the night clerk, but she let them go without questions.  In his room, Klaus laid Dorian on the bed, considered a moment, then covered him warmly.

            “I must call in,” he announced to hide his own distraction.  He called NATO and spoke to A, simply reporting that Eroica was safe and asking him to pass the word to Bonham.  Klaus told them he’d be back in Bonn later that day.

            When he looked toward the bed, Valery was sitting beside Dorian, who was awake again.

            “Do you need a doctor?” Valery asked quietly. “Are you injured?”

            “No, I’m fine.” Dorian sounded a little more lucid now.  He smiled at Klaus and propped himself up against the pillows. “I kept telling myself you’d come for me.  But the drugs made me hallucinate.  I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore.  How long was I there?”

            “Five days.”

            “They ambushed me in a parking lot, did you know that?  Hit me on the head,” He raised one hand to the back of his skull, “but I wasn’t unconscious for long.  I guess this hair is good for something after all.” Dorian attempted a laugh, but it trembled. “Tarskov told me why I was there.  Then the fun and games began...”

            Valery caught his hand when he lowered it. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

            “Yes, of course.  Darling, did you let my men know--”

            “They will be notified at once,” Klaus assured him.

            “Good.  They must have been frantic.” Dorian’s voice wouldn’t seem to reach the same level of flippancy he often used.  He was still pale. “Could I have a bath?”

            “Not while the drugs are in your system--”

            “You can have a shower as long as someone is with you,” Valery interposed.  Neither he nor Dorian looked to Klaus for that.  They went into the bathroom together, moving slowly. 

            Through the closed door, Klaus could hear them speaking softly.  He lit a cigarette, then realized that he could just barely understand what they were saying.  Embarrassed but curious, he stepped closer.

            “Are you still all right when Klaus isn’t here?” Valery was asking gently.

            “I can’t let him see me this way.” Dorian’s voice came after a moment, muffled but intelligible. “He already thinks I’m a nitwit.  I can’t let him think me a weakling too.  Not after you came through it so well...” Klaus didn’t hear Valery’s response. “I know... but I’ve never been so helpless.  Usually I can get through bad situations by imagining I’m somewhere else.  I have a very lively imagination, you know.  But this time, I hardly had a chance... and then the drugs confused me.  It was too awful.” He paused to let Valery speak again. “I’m glad you’re here... Your arms are longer than they look.  And stronger.”

            “Klaus is not going to think less of you because of what you’ve been through.”

            “It would be hard for him to think less of me than he already does.”

            “That’s not true.” Valery spoke a little louder now. “He didn’t have to come after you himself.  Or he could have brought some of his men along instead of me and let all of NATO know what had been done to you.  He could have demanded your release through other channels, since Tarskov’s behavior was not condoned by the KGB.  Yet he came himself, immediately, and he has barely gotten any sleep since he found out you were missing.”

            Dorian sounded disarmingly vulnerable. “Honestly?”

            “Honestly.  He was worried enough to dream about you.” There was a smile in Valery’s voice. “He as good as told me he’d be lost without you.”

            Klaus made an involuntary sound at that and had to move away from the door.  The next moment he heard the shower turn on.

            He was on his fifth cigarette before his companions appeared from the bathroom in a burst of fragrant steam.  Both were wrapped in towels, and the accumulated quantity of wet hair made Klaus shudder automatically.  He turned away as Valery helped Dorian settle naked under the covers.  When he turned back, they were saying goodnight.

            For the first time Klaus caught a glimpse of Valery’s tattoo, and he acted on impulse: moving closer, he swept the mass of black satin hair aside and studied the elaborate eagle pattern, wondering at the dedication it would take for someone to do this to himself.  Valery had stiffened in alarm at being touched, but he didn’t try to pull away.  He allowed his unguarded back to be examined by someone who was ostensibly his enemy.  Even Dorian was silent.

            At last Klaus let the hair fall downward, once more obscuring the tattoo.  When Valery spun around to hear his verdict, he was solemn. “I hope the COA, or your Sebastian, is worthy of your loyalty,” he murmured simply.

            “He is,” Valery promised, looking Klaus in the eye. “I’ll say good night now, Major.”

            “Good night--” Before Klaus could detain him, Valery had collected his clothing and slipped through the doorway into the next room.  Klaus found himself alone with Dorian in a room he now realized they would have to share.

            Dorian was watching him, wide-eyed and hopeful, and Klaus had never felt so cornered. He knew it was his own doing.  After a moment he dragged a chair beside the bed and sat down.

            “You do not need to hide your injuries around me,” he said. “That is silly.”

            “I’m not injured,” Dorian insisted. “Just shaky.  I couldn’t take one of your usual tirades right now, darling... Sorry.”

            “I am not going to...” Klaus sighed.  He’d been reluctant to meet Dorian’s gaze; now he did so and felt his last defenses fall away. “I am very glad you are not seriously hurt.”

            “Well, it was all a bit more than I was prepared for,” Dorian admitted, “but they weren’t actually sadistic.  Just persistent.  Fortunately, only three of Tarskov’s men were interested in the game, and he kept interrupting them to gloat over what he would do to you when you came for me...” He lowered his eyes. “He was more certain than I that you’d come.”

            “It seems everyone knew it except you and me,” Klaus stated.  He was staring now, thinking that he never again wanted to see his thief harmed.  At the same time, he knew that the minute Dorian opened his irrepressible mouth and said something outrageous, Klaus would be the first in line to harm him.

            “Klaus?” Dorian said suddenly, snapping the German out of his trance.  He offered his hand tentatively. “Thank you.”

            Klaus stared at the hand now, his every molecule urging him to turn away.  In the end, he found he couldn’t slap that expression off Dorian’s face.  He was only glad they had no witnesses. “You are welcome,” he said, clasping the cold, thin fingers.  They seemed to warm in his own. “It never entered my mind not to come for you.  NATO business got you into this, and as your partner, it was my responsibility to get you out.” He could tell that Dorian liked hearing that word. “I only prayed you were not permanently hurt by what Tarskov did to you.”

            “No, not permanently.” The blond produced a true smile. “I’m glad you were able to bring Valery.  He finally got his revenge.”

            “Yes.”

            “And now?  Will you let him go free?”

            Klaus had not thought that far ahead.  His razor-sharp mind had been deliberately dull on the subject. “I will talk to him later today.  Since he volunteered his assistance, I will not repay it by arresting him, but I cannot let an assassin go free.  Perhaps we can arrange a deal.”

            Dorian nodded shortly.  His eyelids were drooping again, and Klaus suddenly realized it was almost dawn.  He released the other’s fingers in order to turn out the light, then undressed in the dark, steeling himself for what would come next.  To his utter relief, when he lay down beside Dorian, the thief was sound asleep.  Klaus was not far behind.

            It was late afternoon when Klaus awoke to find Dorian smiling down at him.  With a grunt, the German left the bed, dragging one of the blankets with him.  He knew the other found this amusing, but the alternative was unthinkable.  In the bathroom he washed up and dressed, then returned to the bedroom in time to see Dorian also pulling on his clothes.

            “You are feeling better?” he asked.

            “Much.  But I’m ready to go home now.” Dorian sounded cheerful.  If it weren’t for the bandages visible beneath his shirt cuffs, the last week might not have happened. “I’ll wake Valery.”

            Klaus packed quickly, aware of silence coming from the next room.  Suddenly he knew.

            “Darling,” Dorian called, but Klaus was already there.  The room was not only empty; it looked as if it had never been occupied at all. “He left a note.”

            Klaus grabbed it angrily.  It was brief: ‘My friends, it was good to see you again.  To avoid an awkward situation, I have already gone.  I’ve taken my jet, but NATO has agreed to send a plane for you both.  Take care of each other.  I hope we meet again someday.  Valery.’

            “God damn it!” Klaus began, turning on Dorian. “Did you know he would do this?”

            “I suspected,” Dorian admitted, staying well out of striking range.

            “Did he say where he was going, where he is headquartered?”

            “No, of course not.  All he said was...” Dorian cut himself off and returned to the other room, but there was nothing left to pack. “It was considerate of him to ring NATO for you, don’t you think?  The plane should be on its way by now.”

            Klaus was not distracted, even by the idea of Valery calmly calling his office and requesting transport.  He didn’t know whether to hope he’d used a false name or not. “WHAT did he say to you?”

            Dorian grinned. “He said to give him a call if you should ever turn up missing.”

            Klaus imagined there must be smoke coming out of his ears. “Meaning that YOU know how to contact him?”

            “Darling, count to ten.” Dorian backed away, but Klaus wasn’t really planning to strangle him.   He just enjoyed giving that impression. “Valery gave me his phone number in confidence.  I swore I’d only use it in an emergency.  And being threatened by you doesn’t constitute one!”

            “What country is he in?” Klaus lowered his hands and attempted a reasonable tone, but failed thoroughly.

            “Ah ah.  I’m not telling.” Dorian danced out of reach again. “All right, darling, how’s this? 

I’ll invite him to our engagement party.  So all you have to do--”

            “Idiot!  What I would rather do is kill you and invite him to your funeral!” Klaus had had enough of the blond’s foolishness.  He picked up his bag and briefcase and stomped out of the room, not caring whether Dorian followed.  He should have known better than to think the airhead could behave himself for more than a few hours at a time.  He should have known better than to expect him to put NATO’s cause ahead of his own.  He should have known his thief better.

            Outside the hotel Klaus flagged down a cab and directed it to the airport.  At the last minute Dorian jumped in, yelping when he landed on a tender area.

            “I’m sorry,” he said once they were on their way. “I promised Valery I wouldn’t let NATO get to him through me.  Please try to understand that.  I owe him this time.”

            Klaus did understand.  He was also reminded that his partner was not at his best.  Later, when Dorian was fully recovered, he could perhaps be persuaded to disclose the COA’s location.  Until then, he was safe and once again his normal, incredibly annoying self, and Klaus was content.  He turned his back to Dorian, looked out the window, and smiled.           


End file.
